Top 5 Robots in 2014 Pop Culture

This “harder than steel” exoskeleton turns babies into Iron Man. “The baby in the suit is you in a new Hyundai.” the commercial states.

Humanistic factor: 8 – right in the Uncanny Valley, and thus super awkward

2. Basement Jaxx- Never Say Never ft. ETMLmusic video
How do you develop a twerking bot? In this MV, Japanese scientists are trying to develop a dancing robot (waist down, without the upper half of the body) by studying people- especially the movement of the buttocks.

Humanistic factor: 8 – Also sitting in the Uncanny Valley, because it’s very realistic sans the torso

3. OK Go- I Won’t Let You Down music video
The singers sit on Honda’s UNI-CUB robot stools, which are like sitting-down segways. Humanistic factor: 1 – It’s like a cool new vehicle

4. Paul McCartney- Appreciate music video

In this music video, Paul McCartney sings to a robot, which dances an awkwardly with him. It is uncertain how the robot ties with other elements of the music video. Humanistic factor: 2- It’s a cute robot that looks more machine than human.

5. Big Hero 6

A movie about an inflatable personal healthcare robot Baymax who is fitted into an exoskeleton- robot in a robot! Humanistic factor: 4- It doesn’t look human, but it talks and has a personality you can relate to and develop emotions for.

D.Y. Wohn, Ph.D.

Dr. Wohn is an assistant professor at NJIT and director of the Social Interaction Lab (socialinteractionlab.com). Her research is in the area of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) where she studies the role of algorithms and social interactions in livestreaming, esports, gaming, and social media.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, and Yahoo, her main projects examine 1) content moderation, online harassment and the creation of safe spaces, 2) social exchange in digital economies, which include the transactions of emotional, informational, and financial support, and 3) news consumption via social media.